Manning Verdict a Warning to Future 'Heroes of Transparency' (El Pais, Spain)
"On that list of heroes there are two names, although for
very different reasons: Edward Snowden and Julian Assange. ... Manning, Snowden
and Assange represent a new phenomenon that exposes the weaknesses of the intelligence
services, particularly those of the United States, which are unable to control
those with access to the vast amount of data they process."
Russia President Vladimir Putin with a 46-pound Pike fish he claimed to have caught: In Edward Snowden, now a temporary resident of Russia, what sort of fish does he have?
For
the Pentagon, the case against Bradley Manning is much more than just personal score
settling with a soldier who decided to divulge to WikiLeaks
classified material that was so compromising to the United States. It is about setting a precedent that
will deter others who dream of following in their footsteps and becoming heroes
of transparency. After being exonerated of the charge of aiding the enemy,
Manning's sentencing leaves the Pentagon halfway toward its objective.
On
that list of heroes there are two names, although for very different reasons:
Edward Snowden and Julian Assange. The first has been stuck in limbo at the
Moscow Airport's transit zone for five weeks, waiting for either Russia to
grant him asylum or the capacity to fly to a country that has already offered
it to him, such as Venezuela, Bolivia or Nicaragua [The Kremlin granted Snowden
asylum on Aug. 1]. The second has spent 13 months at the Ecuador Embassy in
London to avoid deportation to Sweden, the first step, according to him, to handing
him to U.S. authorities.
What
unites them is their access to U.S. classified material. Manning as a soldier
destined for Bagdad, Snowden as a contractor for the National Security Agency
who exploited his talent as a hacker, and Assange as founder and the
ideological leader of the largest operation dedicated to divulging secrets, WikiLeaks.
The three represent a new phenomenon that exposes the weaknesses of the intelligence
services, particularly those of the United States, which are unable to control
those with access to the vast amount of data they process. Above all, the most
difficult challenge they face is to prevent people from stealing classified
information.
Snowden
is wanted by the U.S., which accuses him of stealing public property, with the unauthorized
disclosure of national defense information, and without permission, for handing
classified communications intelligence to others. All as a consequence of the
publication by London daily The Guardian
of several documents laying out the intelligence activities of the American and
British governments, including spying on other European governments and the
European Commission, plus the more or less forced collaboration of Internet
giants Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and others.
Snowden
was in Hong Kong when The Guardian
published his first installment. He then flew to Moscow on June 24. Last week
it was announced that Russia would accept his petition for asylum. His capacity
to fly to another country is limited. Washington showed the lengths to which it
would go when, suspecting Edward Snowden was on board, it managed to pressure
France and Portugal to refuse overfly permission to the aircraft of Bolivia President
Evo Morales on a return flight from Moscow. Morales was
forces to land in Vienna before being allowed to continue on his journey home.
Assange
is another matter. The United States is not demanding his extradition. Sweden seeks
his extradition to clarify accusations of rape and sexual assault which have
been brought by two Swedish women. He left Stockholm for London just hours
before a detention warrant was issued, and since last June he has taken refuge at
the Ecuador Embassy. He is certain that if extradited to Sweden, it would be
the first stop on his way to Washington. Assange's
supporters have a blind faith and wholeheartedly believe in him. They do so without
stopping to think that if any government would hand him over to the U.S. with its
eyes closed, it would Britain's, not Sweden's.
Assange
appears from time to time on the embassy balcony to ensure we don't forget him,
and as much as possible, he has associated himself with Snowden. His most
recent strategy is to run in the Australia elections with a new party, the WikiLeaks Party.
